A Game of Crowns
Chapter 1- Infinity, Pen. Infinity.

“We are all tied to our destiny and there is no way we can liberate ourselves.”

-Rita Hayworth

“Penny, please come in here, will you?”

I wanted to roll my eyes at her insistence on calling me Penny, but I didn’t because she was my mother and she’d hit me with her wooden spoon if she caught me. Her wooden spoon was her choice of weapon when it came to inflicting pain and you’d be surprised at how much it could hurt. If only I could get them to call me by the name they gave me at birth, Penelope. It was highly unlikely.

I walked into our small kitchen and immediately knew something was wrong. The enticing smell of pot roast was wafting in the air and my mother held her small statue of the Priestess Xandra. She caressed it as if she was silently saying a prayer.

This could only mean one thing. They had something to tell me and I wouldn’t like it. Pot roast was my mother’s idea of comfort food and Xandra was her crutch.

The kitchen was too small for comfort. The walls were painted a vomit green with pale yellow curtains on the window. My mom thought it was beautiful. My father and I loved her too much to tell her any different. It wasn’t the most comfortable room in our small two-bedroom house, but it seemed any conversation of importance took place here.

My father was messing with the ends of his blue button up shirt as he’d glance at me and look away. This really wasn’t good. His usual smiling mouth was set in a grimace.

“What is it?” I asked.

My parents looked at each other as they had a silent conversation, a technique they perfected during their thirty years of marriage.

“Just tell me already.”

My dad sighed. “The ruling family was murdered last week. There is no one left to rule the territory.”

I heard the rumors in the market, but I didn’t know it to be true. What did this have to do with me?

“A message arrived from the palace while you were out feeding the animals.”

“And?”

He continued, “The Trinity has taken charge until a new king and queen are crowned.”

He stopped and looked away, unable to finish.

I looked to my mother for answers. She held onto Xandra for dear life as she bit her lip. “The Trinity issued a mandate. A lottery was held. All eligible men and women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one were entered. Your name was selected, Penny.”

“But I just turned eighteen yesterday. It can’t mean me,” I said, my voice wavering.

I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to be queen, but I knew ignoring a mandate could mean death. The Trinity was not known for their mercy.

“How long do I have?”

“You need to leave in a few hours,” my father said as he struggled to keep a calm appearance. Although, the unshed tears were a dead giveaway.

My mother came and hugged me.

“It will be okay, Penny. This is a chance to be queen. Yes, it would mean an arranged marriage, but think of all the good you’d be able to do if you won.”

She was trying to make me see the bright side, but I saw no bright side. This mandate was robbing me of my freedom. Most girls would jump at this opportunity, but I wasn’t most girls.

I pushed away from her, leaving the comfort of her arms. Her disappointment at the break in contact was written all over her face. I wouldn’t feel bad. I was entitled to be upset by the turn of events. A small part of me felt guilty anyway for pushing her away. It wasn’t her fault I was chosen.

“I’m sorry, Penny, I wish there was something we could do,” my father said, wistfully.

“It’ll be fine, papa. I’ll manage. I guess I’ll go pack now.”

I gave them a weary smile and left the warm kitchen. Instead of heading to my room I went out to the pond on our land.

I sat down at the edge, took off my shoes and slipped my feet into the water; leaning back onto my hands. I lifted my face and soaked in the sun. The warmth was comforting as I enjoyed the feeling of the sun on my skin.

“Enjoying the sun, your majesty?”

I turned around and looked at my best friend, Thomas White. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled with laughter.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“You’re lucky your birthday is still two weeks away. Your name wasn’t entered in the lottery. You don’t have to surrender your life to the Crown,” I said, seriously.

“If I had been eighteen already, then there would have been a chance for us to get married, sweetheart,” he said jokingly, as he sat next to me.

He pulled off his work boots, rolled up his black jeans, and sunk his feet into the water next to mine.

“How did you know about me being selected?” I asked him.

“I went by your house looking for you. They said you were out in the barn, but to give you space so they could speak with you. They then proceeded to tell me what happened,” he said, trying not to make the situation heavier than it needed to be. His light smile and tender eyes kept me from lying to him and telling him the truth.

“I don’t want to go, Thomas.”

I finally said it aloud.

He put his arm around me. “It’ll be okay, Pen.”

I laughed, “How many times do I have to tell you to use my whole name?”

“Infinity, Pen. Infinity.”

I laughed and talked with Thomas until it was time to go back in and pack.

“I’ll see you soon,” I said as I hugged Thomas.

He gave my ponytail a light tug.

He pulled back and grinned, “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

He gave my hand another reassuring squeeze and walked away.

I stomped into my room and began throwing my belongings into a duffel bag, not bothering to fold anything.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Said goodbye to Thomas already?” my dad asked.

I nodded.

“It will be alright, sweetheart. The odds of you even making it to the end is slim. I’m not saying I don’t think you have what it takes to be queen because you do. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, but I doubt you’ll be giving it one hundred percent of your effort,” he said, smiling.

He was right.

I smiled. “I’ll miss you, papa.”

“I’ll light a candle for you tonight and pray so that the Priestess may watch over you.”

“Thank you, Papa,” I said, accepting his gift of prayer. I may not believe in his religion, but I would not belittle it.

As I hugged him, my mother walked in.

“A car from the palace is here for you,” she notified me in a small voice.

I swallowed hard. It was actually happening. I’d be heading to the palace for a chance at being the next queen of Iron Forge. If there was some sort of deity out there, I hoped they’d keep a watchful eye out.

We shuffled outside towards the porch. My mom handed me a to go pot roast sandwich and my dad gave me a stationary set, ensuring I’d write them as much as possible.

I sat behind the tinted window of the motor coach that was sent for me and watched as silent tears fell down my parent’s faces. The unshed tears in my father’s eyes had finally began to fall. My mother continued to mumble a quiet prayer. I put my hand against the glass of the window in a gesture of goodbye. My parents would be okay without me; they had to be.

As we drove off, I watched them until they were just specks in the distance. After a half hour, I ate my pot roast sandwich and sighed in contentment. My mother really did know her way with a roast. I let myself relax against the leather seats of the vehicle and enjoyed the ride. It was rare for anyone to own a vehicle and here I was in one for myself.

I shut my eyes for a minute enjoying the quietness of the road. The only noise came from the smooth purring of the engine. It lulled me into a restful sleep.

I was awoken by the footman, who was waiting to escort me out of the car. His blue and gold collared uniform was pristine. I smiled at him but he hadn’t looked at me. He was mechanical in doing his job.

He held out a gloved hand for me to take; as if I needed the assistance. I stretched freely and ignored the look he gave me. I was probably embarrassing myself in some way on day one, but there was no helping it. It was bound to happen and it would more than likely happen again.

It was unbelievable that I slept the entire four hours it took to get here. Sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight. The footman cleared his throat. He had moved closer to the palace. He was anxious to get inside and here I was dallying outside. I looked around me, taking in what would be my home for the next couple of months.

The palace was on high ground. It overlooked a town at the bottom of the valley. The walls were a light beige stone that glistened under the setting sun. It was different than any one of the buildings I’d seen in one of the inner cities. Those buildings were made of metal and shot up into the sky. This one was a part of the land it swept over. The moss-covered walls were homey and welcoming. It was obviously taken care of by someone who knew what they were doing. This place was unlike any architecture I’d ever seen. Although, that wasn’t saying much, I was no expert.

The footman cleared his throat impatiently. I tore my eyes away and followed the man into the palace where he left my bag with another attendant.

The attendant led me through a long hallway with a red carpet that ran down the length of the hall. The walls were covered in pictures and paintings of the ruling families from the last five hundred years. At the end of the hall, we took the door on the right which led to a sitting room, where a group of ladies’ maids awaited me.

They began to fuss over me as soon as the male attendant left the room. They stripped me of my clothes and bathed me in scalding water. They ignored my protests and insisted they were on a schedule. They had no time for modesty. Every possible inch of me was scrubbed clean. My skin felt raw. Every strand of unwanted hair was removed. After, they combed my long, raven-colored hair into a high ponytail and added a light layer of eye makeup to my gray eyes. I went through a rack of clothes they had set out for me, but I couldn’t replace anything I’d be caught dead in. I knew I had to settle for something so I pulled out a cream-colored summer dress. It soothed my irritated skin.

I had never worn a dress. Well, except when I was small and I had no say in the matter. My mother had complete control of my wardrobe. At the age of seven, I refused to put on another dress. From that day on, I never did, until today that is. It was an odd feeling, but it was surprisingly fresh.

The contraptions they called heels were a definite no. I picked the flattest pair I could replace, a pair of sandals.

As soon as I was presentable, they sent me on my way with an escort. The room had to be cleaned in preparation for another participant. My escort led me to an amphitheater sort of room, where others were already waiting.

At least two hundred participants had already arrived. They were either seated, waiting to be told what to do, or speaking amongst themselves. My papa was right, making it to the end would be difficult. Even making it past the first couple of rounds would be challenging. I don’t know what I expected. I knew Iron Forge was a big territory, hence the lottery, but I anticipated fewer people.

How long would I have to stay here? Maybe this worked out in my favor. I would be cut during the first round and I’d be able to head home and enjoy my days on the farm.

“Excuse me, Miss?” said a quiet looking girl.

She held a tray with small black and white boxes.

“Should I take one?” I asked her.

She nodded.

I moved to take a white box, but something within me urged me to take a black one instead.

I removed a black box from her tray. She quickly moved on to the next participant. I was tempted to open it, but the label read Do Not Open Until Advised.

It made me want to open it even more. Instead, I settled myself against the back wall of the large room and watched as the others navigated the room, mingling.

Some were working folk like me. You could see the difference from the ones who had never worked a day in their life. It was in the way they carried themselves. The snobs seemed to be at ease in this environment and then there were others who I couldn’t read.

It made me sick to think of all the wealth being spent on this game of crowns while most of the territory lived in squalor. Things had started to improve under King Stefan’s reign, but he had been murdered. Who knew what the next king and queen would do? My family and Thomas’s family had been lucky. We had our farms to help us survive. We could provide for ourselves. We weren’t well off, but we didn’t go without much. I remembered the time I visited one of the inner cities of Iron Forge; it was a visit I’d never forget. There were little kids on the corners begging for money. Some held their baby brother or sister in their arms, hoping to incite mercy in the hearts of travelers. Some of the people gave, but the majority walked on with their noses up in the air with disgust.

The next day, when I received my portion of selling our crop, I changed half of my money into small bills and went around the city giving them out until I ran out. My heart broke as I had to turn away all the kids I was unable to help. Their little faces of disappointment were the worst. After that trip, my mother refused to take me to the inner cities anymore when we sold our crops. She complained that I gave away half of my money. I didn’t mind going without if it meant they could have a little more.

It wasn’t until King Stefan’s reign that it seemed the monarchy finally cared about their people. It was upsetting that he didn’t have the time to do more. People still struggled to replace jobs to support their families, retired veterans were unable to feed themselves after leaving the King’s army, and the number of homeless children was appalling. There were so many things that could be fixed and no one seemed to be able to do anything about it.

A ringing of a bell pulled me out of my mental rant. We were being herded to the front by attendants scattered throughout the room. As the bodies of the participants moved towards the front, I couldn’t help but take notice of the choice of clothes that some of the girls decided to put on. Some had chosen something simple, like myself, but others chose extravagant dresses with bold jewelry. I didn’t even have my ears pierced. I couldn’t imagine wearing some of the earrings they had on; they looked heavy. I bet their earlobes would be throbbing by the end of the night. The men were just as lavishly dressed as the women. They looked handsome in their evening attire; although, some looked uncomfortable, while others looked at ease. The clothes didn’t wear them. They wore the clothes.

When everyone was finally congregated near the front, three individuals took the stage. The man was wearing black velvet and the two women were in black flowing dresses. The women were twins and the man resembled them in a close way; they were obviously related. They must be The Trinity. I had heard of them, the siblings that were said to have been blessed by Xandra herself, the priestess of The Hidden Realm.

I wasn’t sure if I believed in all of that, but here they were. I thought The Trinity was a group of old women, but here stood three of the most beautiful individuals I’d ever seen: young with black hair, high cheekbones, and full lips. They moved in a synchronized fashion as if they anticipated each other’s movements. They motioned for a servant to go to them.

The quiet girl who had handed me my box went forward. Her wide eyes darted from side to side as her lower lip trembled.

The man caressed her face. At his touch, the girl’s mouth formed an O while her head flew back in ecstasy. The crowd began to whisper but were quickly quieted by the attendants still in the room.

The girl turned and faced the crowd, her meek countenance gone.

“We are The Trinity and you will abide by what we say. We who are chosen will help choose who will lead. The great Xandra will have the final say and we are her vessels. She will bless the new king and queen in The Hidden Realm.”

At this everyone broke out into whispers again. One look by The Trinity shut everyone up.

The girl continued, “We will watch you over the course of six months. The first two elimination rounds have already taken place.”

My mouth popped open. At the look of disgust from a fair-haired participant at my left, I shut my mouth quickly. She sneered at me and returned her attention to the front.

“Those of you who have opened your boxes are free to go.”

After a moment of quiet surprise, A huge amount of people stood and left the room. I had almost been eliminated. I should have opened the stupid thing. Why did I have to follow instructions?

“Now for the second round, if you chose a white box, you are free to go.”

My mouth fell open again. Thankfully, the sneering girl was not looking in my direction.

How could they make such a trivial thing an elimination round?

Something kept me from picking a white box; a slow chill ran down my spine.

Another vast amount of people stood, grumbling their protests as they left.

I looked around to see about forty people left standing, the majority were men. There were ten women, including myself.

The thought was overwhelming. I had a one in ten chance of becoming queen.

“Welcome to a game of crowns.”